A WIN–WIN Project
A few years ago the Houghton Lake Wastewater Authority was struggling to apply enough wastewater and keep the phosphorous and other nutrient levels in check at two of their land application sites. Today, Valley center pivot irrigation systems designed, sold and installed by Michigan Valley Irrigation are on both sites. Here is a quick walk-through of one project.
Josh Wolter from Michigan Valley Irrigation put together a proposal for John Hines, the Superintendent of their facilities. The phase one plan included removing 180 old, inefficient fixed position sprinklers. The next step was to replace them with a center pivot system that moved over the field and added application capacity with remote controls, saving trips to the location. The mobile system was much more uniform in water application and allowed a hay crop to be grown and harvested from the land. Harvesting the hay removed a significant amount of the nutrients that were taken up by the crop and used for growth. This kept soil nutrient levels below required specifications. After the project was completed, Mr. Hines made arrangements to install solar panels to power the pumps and pivot with energy gathered from the sun. At the end of the season, solar energy gathered by the panels provides all the energy needed by the pumps and pivots. The solar equipment investment will have a short-term payback with a long-expected life, reducing operating expense for the plant.
Cleaner water, plenty of application capacity, much better uniformity, lowered soil nutrient content, fewer site trips and a power bill picked up by the sun. To say Mr. Hines is smiling, is an understatement.
Watch the video below to see the project being reviewed by John Hines and Josh Wolter:
Click here to visit our media page for more content.
